Red-Hot Rebels Shoot to 85-63 Win

OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss unleashed a 3-point barrage Tuesday night, knocking down 14 triples to outgun Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 85-63 inside The Pavilion.
 
Joseph Kilgore led Corpus Christi (3-7) with 17 points on the night. The double-figure performance marks the 10th consecutive game with at least 10 points for the senior. Alongside him, Perry Francois set a new career high for the second-straight game, pouring in 12 points on 6-of-8 from the field.
 
The 14 3-pointers were one shy of Ole Miss' program record. Nine of those came in the first half as the Rebels (6-5) opened up a 19-point halftime edge. A 13-0 run midway through the first half turned a 24-18 ball game into a commanding 37-18 Ole Miss advantage.
 
"It was a really frustrating [first] half from a coaching standpoint," said Head Coach Willis Wilson. "We did not come close to executing our game plan. When we do things the way we're supposed to do them, we're pretty good. We had some brief stretches of that, but when we get away from it, we're not very good at all. Tonight we just weren't very good."
 
The Rebels would build the lead to 26 with 2:57 to play in the first half before Kilgore hit three-straight 3-pointers to pull the Islanders to within 50-31 at the half.
 
Ole Miss would lead by as many as 28 just four minutes out of the half before the Islanders were able to begin chipping away. A 9-0 immediately followed from the Blue and Green as the Islanders pulled within 19. Sean Rhea scored four of his six points during the spurt.
 
The Islanders would cut the deficit to 19 on two more occasions, but that was as close as Corpus Christi would come.
 
FRANCOIS FINDING WAY
 
For a second consecutive game, sophomore forward Perry Francois turned in a career performance. After an 11-point night against St. Mary's on Friday, Francois went for an even dozen against the Rebels.
 
The sophomore's six made field goals also mark a career high.
 
ISLANDER INSIGHTS
 
>> Myles Smith recorded a career-best three steals.
>> Elijah Schmidt led the Islanders with a game-high seven rebounds.
>> The Islanders' 19 assists on the night mark a season high.
>> Four different Islanders recorded at least three assists.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Islanders return to action following the holidays with a visit to Central Arkansas on December 28. The game represents the Southland Conference opener before the Islanders return to Corpus Christi Athletic Club Court at the American Bank Center on December 30 to face Lamar.